Skip to main content

Archaeological treasures in Georgia



The Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi has a collection of archaelogical treasures. These include urns, cookware, pitchers, ceramic bowls, and paintings.

There is a pitcher (ewer) from Kashan, Iran, dating to the 13th century, of coloured glass and lustre. The lustreware has a dragon head and handle, while the body is decorated with vertical bands from Firdausi’s Shah-nama (Book of Kings), from the story of Sohrab.


Another ewer is a bronze cast from Afghanistan (1182), made by Mahmud ibn Muhammad al-Haravi. On the neck of the ewer are the traditional well-wishing inscriptions in Kufic script. It has 24 flutes, which are decorated with engraved and inlaid floral motifs, as well as inscriptions in naskh (a Persian verse). The verse is about the ewer, its owner, and the name of the city of Herat.


The 3rd century AD gilt and white glass pitcher is from Khovle in the Kaspi district of the Shida Kartli region of Georgia. It has the image of Dionysos and mythological characters, with the myth of Bellerophon, thought to be Syrian artisanship.



From the 3rd century BCE is Pithos, a large urn that holds 1500 litres. It was discovered in 1967 in Samadlo, Mtsheta, in Georgia. It depicts a deer hunt with figures of animals and birds painted in red ochre.


There is also a replica of the Alaverdi acroterium from the 18th century, made of blue glazed clay. An acroterium is an architectural term for the blocks on the apex (top) of a structure that supports statues or carvings – or even an urn or vase. The real Alaverdi Monastery is a Georgian Eastern Orthodox monastery in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia. It dates back to the 6th century, although it was replaced with another in the 11th century. Assyrian monk Joseph Alaverdeli founded the monastery and settled in the village. Its height is over 55 metres, making it the second tallest religious building in Georgia (after the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi). Kakheti is a wine region, so the monks made their own wine, known as Alaverdi Monastery Cellar.






www.museum.ge



MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...
2 comments
Read more